The 2014 USA Boxing Elite National Championships Semifinalists are Set in Spokane

(SPOKANE, WASH.) – The third day of 2014 USA Boxing National Championships showcased nearly six hours of quarterfinal action on Wednesday at the HUB Sports Center in Spokane, Wash. The 46 victors in Wednesday’s quarterfinal competition all claimed berths in the semifinal round, which will take place on Friday at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

Yet not all the reigning champion’s run toward a second consecutive title ended on Wednesday. Welterweight Jose Alday (Odessa, Texas) and middleweight LeShawn Rodriguez (Shirley, N.Y.) each claimed their second victories of the tournament on Wednesday to move on to Friday’s medal rounds. In women’s action, bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) won her tournament opener to earn a berth in the semifinal round.

2012 World Champion Tiara Brown (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) dominated her featherweight contest with Jenelle Leal (Corpus Christi, Texas) to advance to her third straight USA Boxing National Championships semifinal bout. Brown has returned to the featherweight division following a one-year foray to the lightweight class.

Two top women earned quarterfinal victories in the stacked lightweight division on Wednesday. 2013 USA Boxing Youth National Champion Rashida Ellis (Lynn, Mass.) won a unanimous decision over Christella Cepeda (Yonkers, N.Y.) in her first bout in the elite division to set up a highly-anticipated semifinal showdown with 2012 Olympian Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.). On the opposite side of the bracket, 2012 World Championships bronze medalist Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) won a 3-0 bout over Franci Davila (Kapaa, Hawaii). She will face off with former national champion Melissa Parker (Houston, Texas) in a rematch of the 2013 National PAL final round contest.

2013 USA Boxing National Championships silver medalist Joshua Temple (St. Louis, Mo.) ended the night with a bang in his heavyweight contest with Vardan Khachatrian (N. Hollywood, Calif.). Temple got off to a quick start, landing heavy shots and giving Khachatrian two standing eight counts. The referee called a halt to the bout at the 2:20 mark of the first round, giving him the TKO victory.

All three 2012 Olympians will open tournament competition on Friday with gold medalist Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) taking the ring for the first time in USA Boxing National Championships action. Bronze medalist Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) will compete for her eight national title while her lightweight teammate Underwood vies for her seventh in Spokane.

Thursday will be an off day for all of the competitors with tournament action resuming in two semifinal sessions at 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. on Friday at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino. The 2014 USA Boxing Elite National Championships with culminate with final round action on Saturday at noon and 6 p.m. Tickets are available at the Northern Quest box office or www.northernquest.com.